FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0200.PDF
-B- •*V— PILATUS BRITTEN NORMAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS The Airport, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, Great Britain. P035 5PR Telephone: 0983 872511 Telefax: 0983 873246 Islander More modern than the day it was born Meeting and exceeding customer expectations is the reality of today's Islander. Available with piston or turbine engines, it offers operators impressively low operating costs linked to a superb STOL performance. With great versatility in role, the aircraft is as ideal for commuter operations as it is for parachute clubs and air cargo. Highly dependable, easily maintained, Islander meets needs, in every Continent. Call us for further information. 14 other ATR42 and plans to replace its Twin Otter with a Dormer 228. Passenger projec tions for 1990/91 are 223,000, and revenue last year was $9.45 million. Polynesian Airlines of Western Samoa is entirely Government owned and has a management contract with Ansett. It re cently expanded its routes around the Pacific connecting Rarotonga with Sydney, Brisbane, Nadi, Apia, Pago Pago, Tonga and Auckland. Current equipment is a Twin Otter, an Islander and a Boeing 727-200 leased from Ansett. The carrier has recently considered a 757 and "is still pursuing the proposal" — Samoa having "demanded" that Polynesian operates to Honolulu. In Fiji, Air Pacific operates ATR42s be tween Nadi and Suva and to neighbouring island nations. Internationally the carrier operates a Boeing 747-200, leased from Qantas, to Tokyo, Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. Last July its Boeing 737 was replaced with a 767-200ER on lease from ILFC. An order for a further 767-300ER, for delivery in June 1994, has been confirmed. Air Pacific's long association with Qantas has lately diminished with a reduction in Qantas equity from 19.6% to 10%. The Fijian government now owns 76% of Air Pacific and Cicom, a subsidiary of the Japanese corporation EIE, owns 7.6%. LOCAL COMPETITION Two small Fijian regionals .are in compe tition locally. While privately owned Sun flower's basic aircraft is the Rilatus Britten- Norman Islander, managing director David Collingwood finds it necessary to operate seven different types in his diverse fleet of eleven aircraft. Sunflower is also consider ing another Twin Otter. Fiji Air, partly Government owned, oper ates two Islanders, two Twin Otters, two Herons and a Baron, and conducts crew training for Air Pacific. Solomon Island Airlines, based at Honiara, was taken over from Talair's Den nis Buchanan in 1986 by the Solomon Islands Government as a third-level carrier supplying local inter-island flights and serv icing the region's small but growing tourism market. The carrier has recently acquired a Boeing 737 and is vigorously seeking new routes to add to its Port Moresby, Honiara, Port Vila and Nadi services. The State of Vanuatu fully owns its domestic operator Vanair, providing inter- island services with Twin Otter, Bandeirante and Islander aircraft. Flag-carrier Air Vanu atu, independent but still government owned, operates a Boeing 727-200 it pur chased from Australian Airlines and which it leases back to Australian four days a week. Air Vanuatu employs its own crews, servicing Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland from Port Vila. An additional service is planned in January. Projected international passenger numbers are 45,000, for a revenue of $10.5 million. fc-L _ # G-BRGB Islanders are a familiar island sight Tonga, too, is trying for the big league and will want to trade reciprocal rights with its regular visitors, Air New Zealand, Poly nesian, Hawaiian and Air Pacific, all of which fly into Nuku'alofa. Friendly Islands Airways general manager Dennis Hoskin says the Tongan Government is still consid ering a proposal to operate a leased DC-8 to Australia, New Zealand and Honolulu on pre-agreed routes and frequencies. The carrier, owned by the Tongan Gov ernment, also plans to add an ATR42 or similar type to its current fleet of two Twin Otters. The airline holds a licence to neigh bouring Niue, to which it operates with an ATR42 on charter from Air Pacific, and is renewing its licence to American Samoa. Papua New Guinea flag-carrier Air Niu- gini flies seven F.28s, two Dash 7s and an A310 on a complex domestic and interna tional network. A second A310 will arrive in December but because of business down turns, the first aircraft will be leased to an operator yet to be named. Privatisation of the carrier is foreshadowed, the timing likely to coincide with replacement of the F.28s with five new aircraft. Types under consideration are Fokker 100, BAe 146 or Boeing 737-500. Although scaling down, PNGs Talair still flies 38 aircraft, from Islanders to Dash 8s, to 24 domestic ports. Chairman Dennis Buchanan has fought a long battle against political and bureaucratic obstructions, his most serious problems being a five-year air-fare freeze and difficulties with work permits for essential foreign specialist staff. Buchanan still controls Talair, Papua Guinea's last surviving major third-level carrier. Douglas Airways recently failed following Air Niugini's acquisition of a controlling interest about three years ago. Talair has also gradually withdrawn serv ices. Local services mostly serviced by Islanders have passed to individual local buyers of Talair aircraft. The ultimate in international "long thin routes" has been flown for years by Norfolk Airlines. The world's highest-time^ Beech Super King Airs, along with a recently acquired Dash 8, connect tiny Norfolk and Lord Howe islands with Eastern Australia. Norfolk has acquired several Australian third-level carriers with varying fortunes, now consolidated under Norfolk's flag. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23 - 29 January, 1991
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
